Game



April 25, 1944.

y R. R. l RIEHLE GAME Filed sept. 8, 1941 .co2 EE..

, u m2... EF..

immz d 2.3 N

. mjexm im .Qo

FIG.I

iNvENToR RAYMOND R. RIEHLE Patented Apr. 25, 1944 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE GAME Raymond R. Riehle, Milford, Ohio Application September 8, 1941, Serial No. 409,953

(Cl. 273-93) l Claims.

This invention relates to game apparatus, and more particularly to improvement in a game board upon which a competitive game, such as baseball or the like, can be played,l using a standard four suit deck of nity-two cards.

An object of the invention is to provide a game board upon which a competitive game such as baseball, or the like. may be played, and which board is characterized by a duplicate playing eld so arranged that the participants of the game may play an offensive as well as a defensive game, at the same time.

Another object of the invention is to provide a game board upon which a card game of baseball may be played wherein the various 'characteristic types of plays are conned to certain predetermined and well dened portions of the board in full View of allthe participants of the game.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a game board comprising the present invention.

With' reference to the drawing, it will be observed that the game board I0 is divided into two contiguous triangular playing regions or sections, denoted generally by the letters A and B, each of which are divided into a plurality of duplicate sets of playing stations II, I2 and I3 for providing oiensive and defensive areas, or spaces, on which the balls, strikes and pass-plays of the home and opposing team are recorded. The physical dimensions of each of playing stations II, I2 and I3 are preferably as large as a card of a regular four suit fifty-two card deck of the type commonly referred to as playing cards wherein each suit comprises thirteen cards from 2 to 10, inclusive, jack, queen, king and ace. The ball stations II Yare disposed along and in spaced parallelism with the hypotenuse of its respective triangular playing region, the bye or pass-play Station may be located adjacent the right angle of its respective triangle, and the three strike stations may be disposed between said ball and pass-play stations, as illustrated. As will be more fully explained later, the various playing cards are adapted to be placed in the various playing stations for indicating certain conditions of play, either oiiensive or defensive, which the participants of the game desire to make. The combined playing regions A and B may be surrounded by a pair of spaced apart concentric baseball diamonds I4 and I5, one for each team, since the participants comprising each team will be playing oilensive and defensive baseball. By way of example, the inner diamond Ill may be used by the base runners ofthe participants of one team, such as the home team, and the outer diamond i5 may be used by the base runners of the visiting team.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, duplicate sets of scoringsections i6 and I'I may be provided along the base lines as disclosed, for providing spaces into which certain played cards be placed for indicating runs and outs.

If desired, board I9 may be'constructed whereby to be hinged along line I8 which extends from home plate to second base, forfacilitating collapsing the board for purposes of storage, and the like. Assuming now that four or more persons are to play thev game, they will be divided into a home team and a visiting team, wherein the players lon the home team may sit adjacent home plate and second base, whereas the players of the visiting team may sit adjacent first and third base positions, The game is started by dealing the cards of the deck, one at a time to each of the players, until all the cards in the deck have been distributed. If there are four participants eachplayer will then hold thirteen cards. The player, say to the left of the dealer, plays his rst card on one of the playing stations II or l2 of the game board according to the rules of the game hereinafter set forth' in detail and'acoording to the intentions of the players. Each player'will in turn play one card at a time until each'team has been retired by three outs, or until all ofthe cards have been played. If desired, one vinning may be considered completed when both team have three outs to their credit, or when all of the cards have been played.

The first player may make any one of the following optional plays:

l. YHe may play an arbitrarily selected socalled runcard, such as by way of example any two or three red card, indicating his intention to score a run by depositing a run card on the home plate of his particulardiarnond, whether it be 2. He may play any red card on his opponents strike one playing station I2,

3.y Or, he may play any red card on his opponents ball one playing station II,

4. Or, he may play any red card on' his own ball one playing station I I,

Y5. Or, if he does not hold any red cards he must play one black card on his own strike one playing station.

His opponent, the second player, visiting team may make any of the above enumerate ve optional plays, or if he holds a card of like denomination of that played by the first player, he may check the rst players intention already played, in the following manner:

1. He may play a card of like denomination on the first players run card, thereby making one out for his opponent, the home team. Both cards involved in this play are preferably removed from home plate and placed in the one-out scoring station i6 of the home team. At this point it should be observed that those persons participating in the game are able to tell at a glance that the home team has one out against its record, whereas the visiting team has no outs, and neither team have any runs scored to their credit.

2. The second player may check or cancel the first players strike one card on his, the visiting teams strike one playing station, by playing a card of like denomination on said one card for canceling or nullifying the strike. The cards involved in this action are then bodily transferred to the ball one space of the visiting team.

3. Or, the second player may check the first players ball one play on his own, the home teams ball playing station, by placing a card of the same denomination on said ball card. The cards involved in this action may then be deposited on the rst players strike one space.

It will be observed that the terms checking or canceling are used in the sense that the value of a given play can be nullifled by the next succeeding play of the opponent, providing he plays a card of the same denomination. When a card is not checked by an opponent during his next move after a card has been played, it cannot be checked later in the game.

In order that the manner of play may be more easily understandable, the following rules may be followed in playing a game of baseball on the game board disclosed in Fig. 1:

1. Only red cards may be played as a strike or as a ball against opponent.

2. Only red cards may be played as a ball for a player.

3. All red cards from one to ten inclusive of an opponent can be checked by the next player by any red or black card of the same denomination.

4. All red face cards when played as balls may be checked by the next player, and when so checked may be considered as foul strikes.

5. All red face cards when played as strikes may be considered foul strikes and cannot be checked at any time.

6. Any black card, when not used in any other place, must be played as a strike against the player.

'7. Black cards from ace to ten inclusive when not used in any other place are called strikes, against the player playing such cards.

8. Black face cards when played as in rule 6 may be considered foul flies.

9. Black kings when played as in rule 8 may be checked with the king of diamonds; black queens when played as in rule 8 may be checked with the queen of diamonds; black jacks when played as in rule 8 may be checked with the jack of diamonds by the next player, and in all these plays the play is scored as a foul y caughtone out.

10. Face cards should not be used as a third strike, since face cards when placed on the strike stations are considered foul strikes.

11. Playing stations I3 are considered byecard stations into which the cards of a team having three outs are placed, and wherein the player of that team plays black, or defensive cards.

12. When a batter is put out incident to the play of cards, or gets on base, the balls and strikes accumulated against him in playing stations Il and I2 are lifted from these respective stations and placed with the card making the out, or put with the run card on whichever base the runner is advanced to.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that a very interesting game of baseball may be played using the game board of Fig. 1 and a regular unmarked deck of playing cards.

It should be observed that in addition to the twelve playing rules hereinabove enumerated, a set of rules may be, and preferably are worked out for the cards themselves, such as, by way of example, two red aces may be considered infield grounders, and unless checked, the runner is credited with a single, that is, the batter takes first, and the runners on bases advance one base, but the runner on third does not score unless the bases are loaded. Other rules 0f a somewhat similar nature may be worked out for other cards of the deck.

It will be observed that the cards themselves comprise the visual marker means which are placed on the playing board, in full View of the participants of the game whereby the exact standing and various conditions of play of both teams are always visible, and each play is visibly recorded at the time it is made.

It will likewise be observed that although the sequence of play depends upon the particular grouping of the cards dealt to each of the participants, whereby the chance element is introduced into the game, nevertheless, the game is not entirely a chance game since the skill or manner in which a player uses his cards depends upon his personal skill and judgment.

By standard or conventional playing cards is meant a deck of four suits, two red suits and two black suits, such as hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. Obviously other decks of cards may be provided and used with the game board. If other than conventional playing cards are used, the cards should be divisible by means of appropriate marking or legends, or by reason of diiferent color of printed matter on the cards, to permit use of the cards in play, substantially as disclosed herein. Accordingly the reference herein to playing cards as conventional playing cards, is to be understood as indicating playing pieces or a deck of cards other than` ordinary playing cards capable of differentiation from one another, and capable of pairing of individual cards, in the manner of ordinary playing cards, regardless of whether the specific qualications of hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades, red and black spots and the like, are used on the cards. In some forms of the invention, cards used in playing the game, may bear pertinent data and playing information to facilitate playing and understanding of the games and the rules thereof.

In playing the game it is intended that each team comprise the same number of players and that after each play of a card by a member of one team, a member of the opposing team shall play a card. Ordinarily, and as previously indicated, the players would sit around the game board or playing field, in the manner in which bridge players position themselves about a bridge table, and the plays Would be made by each player in sequence about the table, the players of the tWo teams being so seated that each succeeding player will belong to a different team or will be an opponent to the players seated both on his or her right and left.

In playing the game, both halves of each inning are in progress at the same time, the players making oiensive and defensive moves or plays as seem to the best advantage oi their respective teams and in view of the various cards held by the various players and the possible scoring conditions of the teams as determined by the cards already played or placed on various stations on the board.

It is desirable that the various playing, run and scoring stations be so positioned or related, that each of the players can quickly and clearly visualize the entire eld of play and the situation relating to the various plays offensive as well as defensive in progress at the same time.

What is claimed is:

l. In a baseball game, a game board divided into duplicate sets of contiguous playing regions for providing oensive and defensive areas, a pair of concentric baseball diamonds surrounding said contiguous playing regions, one of said pair oi baseball diamonds being for offensive plays, the other diamond being for defensive plays, and a plurality of duplicate scoring stations disposed around tl'ie outer of said baseball diamonds, said playing stations, baseball diamonds and scoring stations adapted to receive playing cards during the progress of the game for simultaneously indicating the offensive and defensive conditions of play of the game.

2. In a baseball game, a game board divided into a pair of duplicate contiguous playing regions and a pair of duplicate concentric baseball diamonds circumscribing said playing regions, each oi duplicate playing regions being subdivided and indexed to indicate four ball stations, three strike stations and one passplay station for receiving playing cards during the progress of the game, said diamonds each being subdivided to indicate four bases for receiving playing cards from the playing regions during the progress of a game for indicating the status or" runs in the making, said board being further provided with a pair oi duplicate scoring stations disposed exteriorly of said outermost diamonds and indexed to indicate runs and outs and subdivided for receiving playing cards from the playing regions and diamonds ior simultaneously and continuously indicating the offensive and defensive conditions of play of the particular inning being played.

3. In a baseball game, a game board divided into a pair of duplicate contiguous playing regions and a pair of duplicate spaced concentric baseball diamonds circumscribing both of said playing regions, each of said duplicate playing regions being subdivided and indexed to indicate four ball stations, three strike stations and one pass-play station, said stations adapted to receive playing cards during the progress of the game for simultaneously and continuously indicating the offensive and defensive conditions of play during the particular inning being played, said concentric diamonds each being subdivided into four base stations for receiving playing cards advanced from the playing regions during the progress of an inning for indicating the status of runs in the making, said board being further provided with a pair of duplicate scoring stations disposed exteriorly of saidl outermost diamond, said scoring stations indexed to indicate runs and outs and subdivided for receiving playing cards from the playing regions and diamonds for simultaneously and continuously indicating both the offensive and defensive score of play for the particular inning being played.

4. In a baseball game, a game board comprising a pair of duplicate contiguous triangular playing regions, each playing region subdivided and indexed to indicate four ball stations, three strike stations and a pass-play station, each of said stations adapted to receive playing cards during the progress of a game for simultaneously indicating both offensive and defensive conditions of play during an inning, a pair of spaced concentric baseball diamonds circumscribing said combined playing regions, each of said diamonds subdivided into four base stations, one at each corner thereof, said base stations adapted to receive cards advanced from the playing stations during the progress of an inning for simultaneously indicating the status of defensive and offensive runs in the making.

5. In a baseball game, a game board comprising a pair of duplicate right angled triangular playing regions disposed with their respective hypotenuses parallel and contiguous, each of said playing regions subdivided and indexed to indicate four ball stations disposed along and in spaced parallelism with an hypotenuse, a passplay station disposed adjacent the right angle of the triangles, and three strike stations disposed between said ball stations and pass-play station, each of said playing stations adapted to receive playing cards during the progress of a game for simultaneously indicating both offensive and defensive conditions oi play during an inning, a pair of spaced concentric baseball diamonds circumscribing both of said playing regions, each of said diamonds subdivided into four base stations, one adjacent each corner of the combined playing regions, said base stations adapted to receive cards advanced from the playing regions during the progress of an inning for simultaneously indicating the status of defensive and offensive runs in the making.

RAYMOND R. RIEHLE. 

